An increasing number of telephone callers communicate with automated voice systems. As used herein, automated voice systems refers to voicemail systems as well as interactive voice response systems. A voicemail system allows a user to access saved voice messages, and often involves the user responding to a series of verbal prompts by pressing a key on an associated telephone. An interactive voice response system provides automated responses to a caller's requests. The caller inputs information using spoken words, tones generated by a telephone, or other methods. In response, the interactive voice response system communicates information through, for example, pre-recorded or synthesized messages.
A problem with traditional voicemail systems and interactive voice response systems is that if a user is disconnected or otherwise interrupted, the user may have to call back into the automated voice system and repeat already performed steps followed during the original session to resume processing where the disconnection occurred.